Investigation of Leishmaniasis Seroprevalence in Dogs in Bingöl Province of Turkey

Abstract

Canine leishmaniasis is a lethal zoonotic disease caused by Leishmania infantum (L. infantum) and seen in Asia, Europe, America, and Africa. Dogs play an important role in the spread of the disease as they can be infected clinically and are reservoirs for other mammals and humans. The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of leishmaniasis in asymptomatic dogs in Bingöl province. In this study, a total of 84 dogs of different breeds, ages, and sexes (male/female) were used. Leishmania antibody IgG levels in the serum of the dogs were measured using an ELISA Kit. It was determined that 5 (19.2%) of the dogs aged <2 years and 7 (12.1%) of the dogs aged ≥2 years were Leishmania positive. 7 (17.9%) of the female dogs and 5 (11.1%) of the male dogs were Leishmania positive. The prevalence of Leishmania seropositive was determined as 14.2% in the study. The effect of gender (p=0.562) and age (p=0.501) factors on the occurrence of Leishmania infection was not determined. In conclusion, in this study, the prevalence of Leishmaniasis in asymptomatic dogs in Bingöl province, which is not an endemic region, was determined. This finding shows the presence of Leishmania infection in the region and poses a significant risk to public health.

Keywords

• Dog
• elısa
• Leishmania
• prevalence

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